I'm dropping my EDC car with a spring/sleeve kit (it works with the GC camber plates I already have and was cheap; if unsatisfactory, I'll go coilovers, but brakes killed my mod budget for this year).

Anyway, I've had some trouble finding posts on a good ride height for a tracked, mostly street car. Here's what someone posted for the factory setup on a 2012 M3 E92 ZCP, which seems like a good starting point:

-F 14.2"
-R 14.0"

(I got that from this post: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showpos...80&postcount=7 but now I wonder if I'm reading it correctly... it seems like he means those are stock and then goes on to say how he modified it. So, when he says a R 0.25" rake, does he mean the rear is 0.25" higher than front?)

As for my goals, I know I don't need to lower it, but I have coilovers on my A4. It's not slammed, but dropped a little below the factory S4 ride height. I have grown to love its firm ride and the connected feeling of driving it. I've never liked the M3's ride as much, on any EDC setting. I'm hoping the stiffer springs and a slight drop will help.

BTW, both cars have 18" wheels with 35-aspect tires. It seems like a good track setup, and the streets around here would not be kind to 19" wheels.

I went with a 0.5" drop, in front, which is ~13 mm. So, just a tiny bit lower than ZCP. I'm using a 0.5" rake, so the rear is adjusted accordingly (I'll post that number if I find it). Seems planted on the track, and I really like the way it handles on the street.

I upgraded the front & rear springs to Ground Control's EDC-compatible coilover conversion kit. I think the front spring rate is now 440 pounds (the invoice says something about that). I don't know the rate of the new rear springs. It adds firmness and really helps in corners, but EDC comfort mode is still very compliant (if a bit bouncy).

I'm finally rather pleased with the way my car rides, both street & track (previously, I was not very happy with either). It's still not optimal, but my current thinking is that I'll probably upgrade the rear subframe bushings before doing anything more with springs/dampers/coilovers, if ever.

This can be used to adjust the chassis to different road profiles and driving styles.
The chassis has two preset setups:
- Road setup = factory setting for operation in traffic
- Racetrack setup = setting for operation on a racetrack only
Important!
For operation in traffic, the factory settings (road setup) must be used!

Note the following procedures for setting the various setups:
• Ride height
• Rebound and compression stage setting

Well, I had stock EDC and really wasn't happy with it on the track. After installing the GC spring & sleeve kit + camber plates, with the ride height and camber settings I mentioned above, I'm very pleased with it on the track, yet it's very usable on the street. Until the EDC dampers need replacement, I don't see any reason for furher upgrades. Even then, there's a 50/50 chance I'll keep the same setup and just buy another set of EDC dampers.

Well, I had stock EDC and really wasn't happy with it on the track. After installing the GC spring & sleeve kit + camber plates, with the ride height and camber settings I mentioned above, I'm very pleased with it on the track, yet it's very usable on the street. Until the EDC dampers need replacement, I don't see any reason for furher upgrades. Even then, there's a 50/50 chance I'll keep the same setup and just buy another set of EDC dampers.

stock set up is not nearly firm and precise enough once you get to intermediate. once your that quick the car feels slow and wallowy. i was waiting around for the car to settle into the entry phase of the corner.

stock set up is not nearly firm and precise enough once you get to intermediate. once your that quick the car feels slow and wallowy. i was waiting around for the car to settle into the entry phase of the corner.

What springs were you running? The front springs in my GC kit are 440 pounds/inch. Do you remember what ride height you used?

I'm not claiming this is the ultimate track setup. Just that suspension no longer feels like a glaring weakness. So far, I'm very satisfied with how it feels on the track, and it's still very street-friendly.

What springs were you running? The front springs in my GC kit are 440 pounds/inch. Do you remember what ride height you used?

I'm not claiming this is the ultimate track setup. Just that suspension no longer feels like a glaring weakness. So far, I'm very satisfied with how it feels on the track, and it's still very street-friendly.

sorry stock springs and stock edc suspension. so changing to higher rate like that may help for the time being. stock set up is a glaring weakness once you go a little faster. now i am on 700 front and 800 rear.

conceptually the front needing to be a bit higher than the rear makes sense to me.

On the track? Seriously?

All three shops I've been to since installing these springs have experience in preparing cars for the track, and two of them have their own race teams. They all agreed with the idea of a forward rake (not sure if that's the right term, but I mean the rear of the chassis sitting higher off the ground than the front). The rationale for this is to create more aerodynamic downforce. And note that this is measured between the chassis and ground - not at the fenders.

And I honestly don't see why you'd need or want more suspension travel for braking. I can't see when brake dive is ever a good thing. Maybe in the snow or rain, but not in typical track conditions.

sorry stock springs and stock edc suspension. so changing to higher rate like that may help for the time being.

Okay, so that's where I started, and I can tell you that just installing the Ground Control kit and the ride height adjustment helped immensely. It also included replacement swaybar end links and I think replacement bump stops.

I actually installed the camber plates before the first time on track, so I'm just comparing stock springs/height to the GC springs w/ 0.5" drop.

And I honestly don't see why you'd need or want more suspension travel for braking. I can't see when brake dive is ever a good thing. Maybe in the snow or rain, but not in typical track conditions.

brake dive isnt a good thing but when you slow down a 3000lb mass weigh will shift forward. its just physics. much of that is reduced with stiffer fronts but it still happens, and once you increase a cars grip with better tires you begin seeing increased braking and more weight shift again.

All three shops I've been to since installing these springs have experience in preparing cars for the track, and two of them have their own race teams. They all agreed with the idea of a forward rake (not sure if that's the right term, but I mean the rear of the chassis sitting higher off the ground than the front). The rationale for this is to create more aerodynamic downforce. And note that this is measured between the chassis and ground - not at the fenders.

And I honestly don't see why you'd need or want more suspension travel for braking. I can't see when brake dive is ever a good thing. Maybe in the snow or rain, but not in typical track conditions.

You want more suspension travel on the track, period. Running out of suspension travel means you are beyond the capabilities of the suspension to control the car. BMWs are front end heavy (like almost every other front engine sedan) so you need as much travel in the front suspension as possible.

You will find the car will rotate under all conditions much better by keeping the car pretty close to level.

All three shops I've been to since installing these springs have experience in preparing cars for the track, and two of them have their own race teams. They all agreed with the idea of a forward rake (not sure if that's the right term, but I mean the rear of the chassis sitting higher off the ground than the front). The rationale for this is to create more aerodynamic downforce. And note that this is measured between the chassis and ground - not at the fenders.

And I honestly don't see why you'd need or want more suspension travel for braking. I can't see when brake dive is ever a good thing. Maybe in the snow or rain, but not in typical track conditions.

over-react much?

FYI I said the suspension travel / wheel gap conceptually makes sense to be more in the front than the back. most cars run taller tires in the back vs the front, so the rake is natural. never claimed to be a pro driver or race car specialist.

Thus: The front fender sits a bit higher than the rear (~0.187") while the radius of the front tire is 0.25" less. This visually should look like almost 0.5" (~0.437") of a gap more in the front between the lip of the wheel and the fender than the rear.

Rake:

Measured at the frame rail at the jacking points, the rake is 0.625" with the front of the car lower than the rear. Rake is somewhat arbitrary and what only matters is using the same point when measuring from Car A to Car B, or from setup A to setup B. You can use the fenders as a baseline for rake, but in racing they can be moved and bent so it's not the best place to measure from. At the end of the day, the chassis is nose-down while the fenders are almost even if not slightly nose-up.

I wouldn't call the M3 as "nose-heavy" since its pretty much 50/50 weight distribution. Due to the anti-dive in its suspension geometry, the front does not travel much during braking, especially when you use high spring rates. As long as the front suspension dosn't bottom-out, the front ride height or spring rate of the car does not need to be excessively high.